Jets QB Geno Smith Could Be Facing NFL Punishment

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith is among the players the NFL is expected to review this week after Sunday’s 20-17 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Smith completed a five-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson with 2:30 left in the third quarter. The score gave the Jets a 14-7 lead. Officials immediately flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Broadcast crews said Smith engaged in extra talking with the Packers defense after the play. Packers edge rusher Lukas Van Ness was involved in the sequence and had been flagged for roughing the passer on the previous snap, a completion to Braelon Allen that moved New York closer to the end zone.

The personal foul did not wipe out the touchdown. Jason Sanders still converted the extra point. It did, however, put Smith on the league’s radar for possible discipline.

This is not Smith’s first such case. In 2023, while with the Seattle Seahawks, he was fined $10,927 for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty the league classified as taunting.

Current first-offense unsportsmanlike conduct fines have been listed near $14,926. Taunting, which better matches the description of Sunday’s play, has been listed around $11,941. Second offenses rise to roughly $17,911–$20,897. The NFL reviews film independently and can adjust the amount or decline to fine at all.

Smith finished 27 of 41 for 247 yards and that one touchdown. He did not throw an interception. The running game stalled, though, as Breece Hall managed just 29 yards on 16 carries in the rain at MetLife Stadium.

The Jets led 17-7 early in the fourth quarter after a field goal. They scored the game’s last 13 points none of them. Green Bay tied it on a late field goal after a long punt return, then won in overtime on Trey Smack’s 26-yard kick.

Smith and the Jets won the overtime coin toss and chose to receive. He was sacked on the first two plays, by Barryn Sorrell and then Van Ness. A false start made it third-and-30. New York punted and never touched the ball again.

“We just got to close the game better,” Smith said. “We had the game right in our hands and we didn’t finish.”

He added that he does not believe in moral victories.

“We didn’t win the game, and that’s all that matters to me.”

Coach Aaron Glenn stood by his quarterback.

“Listen, I trust Geno. I think Geno was doing a solid job. Probably not his best.”

The loss dropped the Jets to 1-1 and prevented their first 2-0 start since 2015. Combined, the teams were flagged 27 times for 289 yards, more yardage than either offense produced.

Smith was not the only Jet who could hear from the league office. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood’s hit on Jordan Love, cornerback Jarvis Brownlee’s late shove out of bounds, and an illegal-hands penalty on David Bailey are also under review. Several Packers, including Van Ness, Javon Bullard, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Chris McClellan, face similar scrutiny.

The NFL and NFL Players Association updated the fine system in August. A single player-safety or sportsmanship offense can see the money returned at season’s end. Repeat violations carry higher costs and count toward a three-strike threshold.

Smith’s 2023 fine remains on his record. Whether Sunday’s flag produces another check to the league will be decided after the standard midweek review.

Love, who threw two touchdown passes in the win, called the first three quarters “tough sledding.” Van Ness finished with 1.5 sacks and several run stops that helped Green Bay force overtime.

For Smith, the afternoon mixed a long-awaited home touchdown pass with a flag that could cost him thousands and a collapse that cost his team the game.